The present invention relates generally to product display devices for use in storing and merchandising shelf products therefrom and, more particularly, to various embodiments of a product merchandising display unit which include at least one product channel, each product channel having a front member which only partially bridges the space at the front of each product channel between the respective side walls or guide members associated respectively therewith such that a product container positioned within the product channel can be at least partially pulled through the front member to facilitate removal of the product container from the product channel. The present pull through front wall feature is preferably incorporated into a plurality of product modules which can be assembled in a columnar array to achieve any desired width and any desired number of product channels depending upon the particular merchandising application. The present assemblies can be conveniently supported in either a substantially flat horizontal position or in an inclined position for gravity feeding products positioned thereon. Although the present devices are primarily designed for use in a wide variety of refrigerated display cases presently utilized in supermarkets, convenience stores, and other food and beverage outlets where vertical space within the refrigerated display case is at a premium, they are likewise adaptable for use in many other display shelf applications.
It is common practice to provide product merchandising display devices to organize and merchandise shelf products to consumers. This is particularly true with respect to displaying and merchandising chilled soft drink products in conventional refrigerated display coolers. See, for example, the display units disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,024,336; 5,351,838; 5,417,333; and 5,531,336. It is also common practice to provide product merchandising display devices which include a plurality of product channels or modules which can be laterally interlocked together in side-by-side relationship to form an overall stabilized assembly for supporting products in a columnar array. See, for example, the display units disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,685,574; 4,785,945; 5,050,748; 5,624,042; 5,634,564; 5,645,176; and 6,142,316. This adjustability has made such product display devices more accommodating for use with known refrigerated coolers having different spatial dimensions.
Since the advent of the larger product containers such as the 20 oz. and 1 liter product containers commonly utilized in the soft drink beverage industry, a wide variety of display devices have been designed and manufactured for use in merchandising these taller product containers. One problem encountered in merchandising these taller product containers is the fact that the vertical space between shelf members in a refrigerated cooler or other merchandising application is at a premium and often times such space is so minimal that removal of the lead product container from such unit becomes extremely difficult. This product removal problem is also complicated by the fact that many of the known display devices include higher product channel side walls and higher transversely extending front wall members in order to adequately support and hold these larger product containers within the respective product channels. As a result, the lead product container must be lifted up and over the higher front wall member in order to remove the product container from the respective product channel. Since the space between vertically spaced shelf members within a conventional refrigerated display cooler is typically kept to a minimum and is typically only slightly larger than the product containers positioned within the particular display device located on the shelf member, lifting the particular product containers over the higher front wall member is often times difficult in that the lead product container cannot be lifted upwardly in a substantially vertical direction without interference from the shelf member located thereabove. This may require a customer to lift and rotate the lead product container to an almost substantially horizontal position before the product container be removed from the respective product channel.
Although the present product display devices have, for the most part, been designed so as to more attractively arrange and position the various shelved products positioned thereon for easy accessibility and visibility by a customer at the front portion of the display unit, greater emphasis is now being placed on easily removing the larger product containers from their respective product channel without sacrificing vertical space between a plurality of shelf members which are vertically stackably arranged one above the other within a conventional refrigerated display cooler or other display shelf applications.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to overcoming the removability problem associated with larger product containers as set forth above. cl SUMMARY OF INVENTION
In one aspect of the present invention there is disclosed an adjustable product merchandising display assembly which is adaptable for use on and with existing shelving equipment, either on a flat shelf surface or on an inclined support structure for gravity feeding products therefrom. The present product merchandising display assemblies can be used for both chilled and unchilled products and are particularly well suited in merchandising and displaying a wide variety of products therefrom such as soft drink beverages, fruit juices, dairy products and the like in supermarkets, convenience stores, grocery outlets, fast food outlets, and a wide variety of other wholesale and retail stores. The present display assemblies are likewise equally adaptable for use in a wide variety of other product merchandising and storing applications.
Each of the several embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein comprise one or more product modules which can be laterally interlocked together in side-by-side relationship to form an overall stabilized assembly for supporting products positioned thereon in a columnar array. Each product module includes at least one product support channel for guiding products positioned therein, it being contemplated that the respective product channels may vary in lateral width not only to accommodate products of different dimensions, but also due to the fact that such product modules may include more product channels as compared to others. Each product module includes cooperatively engageable interlocking means associated with the respective side edge portions thereof such as the connection means disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,042, which patent is assigned to the present assignee, Paul Flum Ideas, Inc. of St. Louis, Mo. The construction of the various product modules enables any number of such modules to be connected together in any preferred number to form a particular merchandising unit which not only conveniently fits in the allotted space, but also includes the maximum number of product channels for the particular type of product containers to be merchandised therefrom.
Importantly, each product channel includes at least an upper front wall member which only partially bridges the space between the respective product channel side walls at the front portion thereof. The present front wall member includes a pair of wall portions, each wall portion being attached to and extending from one of the side walls or guide members associated with each respective product channel. These front wall portions are made from a somewhat resilient material such that they are capable of bending and flexing as a product container is pulled through and between the separated front wall portions. Because the present front wall member only partially bridges the space at the front portion of each product channel, such front wall member is adequate to hold and retain product containers within each respective product channel, even in a gravity feed orientation, but the space between such front wall portions enables the product container to be tilted slightly forward and pulled through such front wall member thereby minimizing the upward lifting of the product container to remove it from the respective channel. This also, in turn, minimizes the vertical space necessary between adjacent vertically stacked shelf members to allow for easy removal of the product container therefrom without lifting such container totally above the front wall member.
Other embodiments of the present front wall member include the use of notches or other areas of reduced cross section to improve the flexibility and resiliency of the pair of front wall portions as product containers are pushed and pulled therebetween. These notches may be appropriately positioned and located on the respective front wall portions to achieve the desired flexibility in the particular directions desired. Also, any number of front wall members constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention may be utilized with respect to each product channel, and an intermediate continuous front wall member located between the present front wall member and the bottom of the product channel may likewise be utilized in conjunction with the present front wall member to provide additional stop means at the front of each product channel depending upon the size, shape and weight of the product containers merchandised therein.
These and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the following detailed specification which discloses several representative embodiments of the present product merchandising assembly in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.